


Love is a Four Legged Word

by Alphinia



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Jiara - Freeform, Pining, jj gets a dog, lots of jiara fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24123412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alphinia/pseuds/Alphinia
Summary: In which JJ and Kiara get a dog and fail at pretending they're not two idiots in love.
Relationships: JJ & Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks), jiara
Comments: 54
Kudos: 315





	Love is a Four Legged Word

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't judge me too harshly for all the errors that are undoubtedly in this. I wrote it pretty fast and also only proofread once. Oops. Also, I was lazy af about getting the other characters out of the picture and don't really care about inconsistencies here because I just wanted to write some darn Jiara fluff.

**_Love is a Four Legged Word_ **

The dog formed a shivering stack of bones and matted fur where it lay huddled behind the dumpster, and Kiara’s heart cracked.

She leaned forward, hands propped on her apron, to get a better view. The poor thing looked terrified, like it had been screamed at or kicked one too many times where it had been caught scavenging before. It had to have been on the streets at least since when the hurricane hit a month ago.

“Hey there, bud,” she tried, eyeing it for any signs of aggression.

A long moment, and the tip of its tail twitched in a tiny excuse of a wag. Kiara was done for.

“Hey, JJ!” She leaned halfway back into the employee entrance. The Wreck had closed to the public thirty minutes ago, and her parents had headed home, reluctantly leaving her there with her ‘heathen’ friend. They’d had a difficult time saying no to anything since the fiasco with John B and they’d had to watch her cry for days (and she wasn’t about to tell them about the postcard that had mysteriously appeared at the Chateau weeks ago, informing them that he and Sarah were safe in the Bahamas).

“Huh?” Kiara could make JJ out where he was sitting at their favorite table, still shoveling stale fries into his mouth. It was strange, it being just the two of them so often, but with John B in hiding with Sarah and Pope away on his godsend of an internship, they didn’t have much choice.

“Get out here, now!”

“M eatin’,” he complained, but she spun around back towards the dog, knowing that he was coming despite his grumbling.

The dog hadn’t budged from behind the dumpster. Kiara fell back into a crouch, hoping that making herself look smaller would do the trick.

It might not be a sea turtle, but she wasn’t about to let an innocent creature die on the streets.

“You talking to the raccoons again, Kie?” JJ had leaned up against the wall, and she could just make out the tilt of his brows underneath the shadow of his red cap. He popped another fry into his mouth.

She pursed her lips. “Shut up, JJ. It’s a dog, look.”

“A dog?” He moved to peer over her shoulder. She became less focused on the dog when the tang of salt and cheap deodorant drifted to her nostrils, a smell so distinctly JJ it caught her off guard for a moment. He hadn’t been this close to her since she kissed Pope on a dock.

“I know just the trick for this,” he said, sounding so confident it took her a moment to remember he’d never _had_ a dog.

“You do, huh?” Kiara made sure to sound doubtful. No matter what he said, sometimes it was hard to fight her second nature to argue with JJ.

“Mhm, I do.” They were shoulder to shoulder in the sand when he stretched out his arm into the space behind the dumpster, a half eaten fry dangling from his fingers. “Here you go, boy, c’mon.”

Kiara’s eyes popped. The dog didn’t seem aggressive, put sticking his hand out to a cornered animal wasn’t exactly a brilliant plan.

“JJ-“

“Shhh, shh. Kie, just let the master work.”

Her hand cupped his shoulder, and he tensed under her touch. He was quick to relax again, but she’d already noticed. Slowly, she let her hand fall, the familiar feeling of disappointment welling in her. He never did that _before_.

“Come here, boy,” JJ said again, effectively pretending the awkward exchange never happened.

The dog’s eyes flashed in the dark, and its black nose twitched over the fry. It inched closer towards them, as if it expected them to strike after lulling it into a false sense of security. When they remained motionless, its mouth closed over the offered food.

“What did I tell you?”

“It hasn’t come out yet, has it—“

But then the dog’s tongue was lapping at JJ’s hand, cautiously at first, and then with enthusiasm. His laugh was rich in her ears.

As the dog crept out of her hiding place, Kiara realized that she was probably not over six months old, and that some of her fur looked like it had fallen out. She might’ve been a golden retriever mix, if she was clean enough to identify.

“You _reek_ ,” Kiara said, fanning her nose even as her free hand reached out to stroke the dog. JJ’s smile was infectious when its tongue swiped over his cheek. She hadn’t seem him smile this much since they’d heard from John B.

“That’s a good boy, yes it is.”

Sitting there, watching as her friend fawned over an abandoned puppy, Kiara felt very warm. An idea struck her.

“You know… I don’t think the shelter has been open since the hurricane. And no collar.”

JJ ruffled the dog’s ears. “Yeah, we can’t take the poor puppy to the shelter.” He was speaking at the dog, not to her, his voice lilted like he was talking to a baby. The dog’s tongue skirted his nose in agreement.

Finally, JJ looked up at her, expectant. “Well, you’re the obsessive animal rescuer warrior. Bring it to your house.”

“You should bring her home with you,” she suggested, nudging his shoulder with hers.

By ‘home’, Kiara meant John B’s abandoned fishing shack where JJ had been crashing most nights. She didn’t know if he’d seen his dad or if his dad had any clue about the Phantom, but he didn’t bring it up, so she didn’t ask. As long as she knew he was avoiding that sorry excuse of a man and wasn’t in immediate danger, she tried not to let him know how often she dwelled on it.

But Kiara knew that without the boys around, JJ was a bit lost. She was, too, but at least she had her parents.

There was no company like a dog’s.

“I dunno, Kie.” His nose was scrunched up as he took in the dog that was now cuddled up against his feet.

Kiara realized a beat too late that he was probably trying to calculate how expensive it would be. She brought him to eat at the Wreck as often as she could, and he helped Pope’s dad deliver groceries when he wasn’t earning a little cash from mowing lawns, but being responsible for another living being took a certain amount of funds. The dog looked severely underweight, and she probably had fleas. That didn’t even cover half of the stuff they’d need to take care of.

“She stays with you, but she’s half mine,” Kiara declared, crawling to her feet and dusting off her thighs. JJ’s gaze followed the movement. “My parents won’t let her in the house.”

He stared at her for minute, clearly thinking, but Kiara just tilted her head in challenge. The dog nuzzled his hand, and she could see his will crumbling.

“Fine,” he said. “But I’m the favorite dog parent.”

“We’ll see,” she said, through her grin.

* * *

Kiara’s first order as an official new dog mom was that she needed a bath, stat.

They drove to John B’s house, the dog in the backseat of Kiara’s car and less tension in the air than they’d had in weeks. They would always be close, but a certain part of JJ had closed off. First, she thought it was John B’s presumed death, but then that was cleared up and she realized there was something else between them.

He still hadn’t asked her about Pope, and she hadn’t told him about the tearful conversation the two of them had had involving a lot of ‘just friends’, ‘it was an emotional day’ and ‘oh so sorry for the mixed signals’. She was sure he and Pope had discussed it, regardless.

As for her and Pope, she was still hoping they could stitch the damaged threads of their friendship back together. They would be okay, she knew it, but the distance his internship was providing helped by giving him some much needed space from her.

“Home sweet home,” JJ’s voice chimed when they arrived, a jarring reminder of the last time she’d heard him say those words. This time, there was a hint of a smile in his voice. He’d spent the entirety of the drive slipping fries to the back seat.

While he carried the dog into the house, Kiara got straight to work running a bath of lukewarm water. JJ obviously didn’t have any dog shampoo, but the men’s shampoo sitting on the edge of the dingy tub would still work miracles.

“Really, Kie, straight to torture?”

“This place is messy enough without a dirty dog running around,” she said, yanking on his shirtsleeve. Although he yammered on about her cruelty to animals while doing it, his face was bright as she made him help pat the dog down with soap.

At the first opportunity, JJ’s hands bunched a little soap sodden Mohawk of fur at the crest of the dog’s head. “That’s a look, isn’t it, John B?”

Kiara snorted. “JJ, we are not naming our dog John B.”

JJ paused, and she realized that maybe saying _our dog_ came out a little too intimate. Heat crept up the back of her neck, but he was quick to recover.

“Yes we are, aren’t we, boy? Gotta replace him somehow.” The dog’s soggy tail wagged.

“He’s coming _back_. Eventually.” Kiara flicked a droplet of water in his direction, trying not to think about exactly how long that might take. “And she’s a girl, dumbass.”

“Yes she is.” He was still talking in his puppy voice, and Kiara thought it might be one of the cutest things she’d ever seen.

_Not the time, Kie._ She smacked him on the arm lightly with her towel. “You’re gonna have to help me lift her out.”

“So demanding, huh?”

“Not like that, let all the water out first—fuck, JJ—“

The dog was out of the tub, along with about a gallon of water spilled out onto their clothes and across the floor. She bounded around, tail wagging from the feeling of being clean and droplets flying.

JJ slowly raised his blue gaze from his drenched shirt to hers. “Not to point fingers here, but you did say—“

“I also said _wait,_ didn’t I?”

“You said—“

“Mhm.”

She marched through the hallway to JJ’s room (It used to be Big John’s, but JJ crashed there so frequently that they now called it his), heading straight for the dresser in the corner where he tended to pile all his recently washed clothes instead of folding them. She snatched a maroon hoodie that may have once been John B’s that was now JJ’s that she was now claiming as hers out of the pile. The boys’ clothes had always been communal anyway, really.

The hoodie smelled a little like JJ when she slipped it on, and she resisted the urge to hold the fabric to her nose. How embarrassing.

Kiara snapped herself out of it and grabbed a t-shirt from the pile before swinging the door back open. She was met with JJ, who’d apparently taken it upon himself to remove his wet shirt in her absence.

No matter how many times she saw him shirtless (Which was a lot), it was still hard not to let her eyes trail downwards when he was standing so close. Even when she wasn’t tempted to look at his artwork of abs, she was looking for more bruises. Ever since she’d seen the damage that night in the hot tub, she couldn’t stop checking, just to be sure.

“Can’t a man have a little privacy around here—“

“Here,” she interrupted, tossing the shirt at him. He scrambled to catch it just before it hit him squarely in the nose. The dog, she noticed, had trailed after him, reluctant to leave his side.

Naturally, the animal proved to be obsessed with JJ. Kiara knew she would’ve come to whatever JJ called her, so thankfully he named her after the half eaten Twix bar she practically inhaled from under the couch later that night. It was better than John B, but it still got him a long scolding about all the things dogs couldn’t eat (“That includes pot brownies, JJ,” she’d said, specifically).

They were piled on the pullout couch, Twix nodding off to sleep between them, when Kiara realized it was almost one am.

“Shit,” she said, shooting up. “I better go home. My parents will kill me.”

JJ watched her with half lidded eyes as she pulled on her sandals. One hand was stretched out behind his head, and the other was massaging Twix’s floppy ears. A while back, he would’ve waved her off and told her to stay the night, but she wasn’t really in a position to push any buttons after all that had gone down earlier in the summer.

“Fine.” Clearly, he wasn’t eager to risk his only companion being banned from him, either. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Kiara assured him. She leaned over Twix, ruffling her fur. “And I’ll see you tomorrow, too, cutie pie.”

She spared a glance at JJ, still half expecting a flirty comment like, “Who, me, or the dog?” or “Slow down, there, Kie”, but he remained quiet. He hadn’t talked to her like that since she’d kissed Pope.

She tried to tell herself it was just the attention she missed. There wasn’t anyone who wouldn’t get a slight ego boost from knowing a guy as good looking as JJ found her attractive, after all.

In reality, she knew it had more to do with knowing a little part of him still thought about her that way at all, regardless as to how empty his flirting was.

Kiara shook her head and gave him a little half smile. “Well, see you. Make sure the dog is still alive when I come back.”

JJ leaned further into the cushions. His face was unreadable, but he looked unbothered by her slightly longer than normal silence. “I’m a dependable man.”

Her smile turned into a laugh, and she found herself eagerly anticipating the next day as she drove home.

* * *

Kiara banged on the door at noon, a small grocery bag in each hand. JJ didn’t usually rise much before this time, but this was a bit of a special occasion. They’d just brought home a dog the day before, and all.

She only knocked twice before barging inside. “I have gifts!”

To her surprise, JJ was wide-awake. He was sat on the floor, legs spread and playing tug-of-war with Twix and a ratty old towel. He brightened at the sight of her, even when Twix left him to lick at Kiara’s knees.

“I hope it’s food,” he said, climbing to his feet.

“Maybe.” She whipped a plastic container and utensils out of one of the bags, waving it in his direction. She’d swiped two burgers from the Wreck just before leaving, and his plate was still hot in her hands.

“ _Yes_ ,” he said, and her belly danced with butterflies from the lopsided grin he gave her.

In the other hand, she had a small bag of dog kibble, a leash, a stuffed toy, and a paisley patterned collar. It definitely wasn’t everything they’d need, but it was a start.

“Hey, girl,” Kiara cooed, dropping to the floor to take Twix’s face in her hands. Clean and under the light of the day, she was already looking better. “How was she last night?”

JJ swallowed a bite of burger, and she wondered for the thousandth time if he was just always starving or if he never really ate quality food unless she brought it to him. “She pissed in the floor. Once. I think.”

Kiara looked up from the collar she’d pulled out to adjust. “Did you not take her out?”

JJ gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “ _Yes_ , I took her out, Kie.”

“You better keep doing it.” She got the collar locked around Twix’s neck; a perfect fit. “I know you’re hardly potty trained yourself, but surely you can manage it.”

“You hear somethin’, girl?” Twix had already left Kiara to hover in front of JJ. Her nose sniffed at his food, and he pinched off a bit of the meat to hand to her.

As she lapped it up, he squinted down at the new collar. “I see you put _your_ contact information.”

“Mother has first rights,” Kiara shot back, reaching for her burger. She felt his gaze on her, and she knew he was smiling without taking her eyes off her food.

“I resent that.”

* * *

They’d had Twix for about a week, and Kiara was perched on the couch, trying to teach her how to sit. She didn’t know where JJ had gotten off to, but he almost always left the door unlocked for her, so she’d let herself in like usual.

Twix was a surprisingly fast learner. Her butt had hit the ground and Kiara was slipping her a treat when the door slammed, causing both of them to flinch.

JJ stood at the entrance, his hat balled up in his hands and his jaw clenched. He hesitated at the sight of Kiara.

“Yo, what’s up?” she blurted, slightly affronted by his slamming of the door.

“Nothing.”

His tone was clipped, and his steps were heavy as he headed straight over towards Twix. His hands fell on her coat that was softening by the day, and his hat slumped with relief out of the tight ball he’d crumpled it into. He fell beside Kiara on the couch, as far away from her as he could get without touching the edge.

Kiara took in his cheeks, his arms, the skin peeking out at the collar of his shirt. No sign of a physical altercation.

“I think I’ve almost taught her how to sit,” she tried.

JJ nodded along for her benefit, but didn’t quite smile. “Nice.”

His shoulders were beginning to relax as Twix wagged her tail, but the solemn look on his face didn’t quite dissipate. It was a look she knew all too well typically came after JJ had a confrontation with his father, but she hadn’t seen it since John B had gone.

“You okay?” Kiara asked, all seriousness. He didn’t like to talk about his dad. He never had, and usually she left it at that, but after he’d cried in her arms in the hot tub, a certain barrier had come down. She was no longer willing to bullshit around about it, and he was aware of it.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah.”

Apparently, she didn’t look any more convinced than she felt, because he sighed. “Just, ran into my dad at the store. You know.”

Kiara rocked forward on her hands, eyes already darting over his arms and face with a new sense of scrutiny even though she’d already checked him over since his arrival. “He didn’t—“

“No, no. Not in public.” JJ laughed, and it was bitter and cold. So unlike the laugh she’d come to love. “Just told me I was a piece of shit. The usual.”

“JJ…”

“No big deal.”

Kiara felt the sudden urge to hug him, or punch his dad, or at the very least, let him know that he was appreciated by her. Very much so.

She’d always assumed it was obvious, at least to an extent, but she realized that maybe he needed to hear it.

“Hey, you know that’s not true, right?” she began, and his sky-colored eyes lifted to hers. “Anything he says.”

He scoffed. “Yeah.”

A flicker of courage, and she allowed her fingers to brush across the hand that he wasn’t absentmindedly running through Twix’s fur. He froze, staring at her hand on his, but she didn’t want to chicken out just yet.

“I mean it. You’re… You’re one of the best people I know.”

He was watching her with a very odd light in his eyes, and she realized she’d let her hand linger longer than she had in recent weeks. He didn’t move to pull away, though.

“At least in the top ten, anyway,” she added, tilting her head at him coyly. “And this dog really likes you for some reason, so you have to have something decent about you.”

Her hand still hadn’t moved, and neither had his. The level of socially acceptable was quickly passing by, so she was about to pull back when his hand slowly turned over in hers to give her fingers a small squeeze.

She couldn’t keep her lips from turning up at the corners.

JJ let out a little chuckle, sounding somewhere between wonder and disbelief. “As long as the dog likes me.”

His face grew softer as he looked at her, and there was a flash of _something_ in his expression. He’d never quite looked at her like that before. Whatever it was was making her heart race, and she clenched his hand more tightly in hers. Vaguely, she realized she was still grinning like a fool.

His gaze darted down, and Kiara could’ve sworn he’d glanced at her lips, and oh my god-

The moment was broken by JJ abruptly yanking his hand back. “Shit,” he cursed, standing up very quickly. Twix danced around his legs like he was playing a game, and he did an awkward little wobble to avoid trampling her paws.

“What?” Kiara asked, very stupidly, because she _knew_ what.

“Forgot my Mountain Dew in the van,” he muttered, backing away. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it messier than it already was. “Be right back.”

JJ disappeared out the door, and Kiara’s mind became a whirlwind.

She hadn’t imagined that. There was no way she’d imagined that. Right?

The thing about her and JJ was that she always knew he wouldn’t mind sleeping with her. After all, until recently, he’d never kept his suggestive comments to himself, and he was never subtle about going for pretty much any girl that moved at parties. Sex was something casual to him.

Kiara had never thought much of it, until it hit her that no one else made her smile quite like he did, and that his surprisingly big heart gave her the warm and fuzzies in all kinds of ways she’d never admit aloud. After that, his attentions somehow made her feel both lighter and heavier at the same time. The flirting was fun, but she was always careful to keep it under control when it was clear it never meant the same thing to him as it did to her.

That was honestly fine with her. His friendship meant the world to her, as did that of the other boys, and if keeping a few fluttery feelings to herself saved herself inevitable heartache and awkwardness, she could do just that for as long she needed to.

Even so, it wasn’t that Kiara had never thought about kissing JJ before. Of course she had. He’d probably be good at it, right? He had to be good at it. The countless tourons she’d seen him slink off down the beach with never seemed to complain.

He’d once asked her if she wanted to makeout when he was blackout, but she’d never been in a situation where she’d explicitly thought it was about to happen, right at that very moment.

And she’d definitely never seen him be _awkward_ , no matter what kind of comment had just come out of his mouth.

She’d thought he’d wanted to kiss her, but what if he’d realized it was the other way around? Had she freaked him out? Nothing freaked JJ out… Even if he realized she had a bit of a thing for him, he wasn’t the type to make a big deal out of it. That was one of the things she liked most about him.

Several agonizing minutes passed before JJ returned, a Mountain Dew indeed clutched in his hand. He sat on the recliner, putting a certain amount of space between them, but the borderline flustered expression he’d worn before was wiped clean.

“Well, are you going to show me how she sits, or what?”

She must have imagined it.

* * *

A very large part of Kiara wanted to avoid putting the subjects of romance, Pope, and JJ all in the same universe, much less a conversation, but an even larger part of her despised the disconnect that _just wouldn’t seem to go away_ between her and JJ. Twix had thrown some duck tape over the unspoken awkwardness, but if discussing Pope would clear the air once and for all, she’d rather just get it over with. She found herself wracking her options for a chance to bring it up, preferably without making him think back to the unfortunate, “Yes, your best friend totally wanted to kiss you” moment they’d had on the couch.

Miraculously, JJ took the problem off her hands.

It was a typical day. He’d bitched and moaned at her to come fishing with him, even though all she ever did was sit there mocking him for not catching anything or let him have an earful if he was ever too aggressive about ripping a hook out.

So she’d sat there, Twix’s leash in one hand and her feet hanging from where she was balanced on the railing of the dock. It wasn’t the most exciting thing, but to be honest, she’d rather be there with him than stuck at home alone, anyway.

“So,” JJ said, a few hours into their fishing trip. His voice was oddly scratchy, and he didn’t quite meet her eye. His hands were fiddling with his reel. “You missing Pope..?”

Kiara stared. “Uh, yeah. I guess. John B too. When they’re gone, I’m stuck with your ass.”

He didn’t laugh. Instead, he scrunched up his eyes, like he was trying to calculate something that didn’t quite make sense. Kiara’s heart jumped a nervous beat when it hit her.

He meant was she missing Pope, like, was she missing a boyfriend. Not Pope their friend.

“Wait, I’m not—we’re not—Me and Pope are still just friends.”

Forget the moment on the couch. If awkward could be bottled, this was the time to do it.

JJ blinked at her. “But I thought…”

“No. I don’t like him like that.” She shook her head. After a moment of contemplation, she added, “Sorry. I assumed you’d talked to Pope.”

“He didn’t mention it.” He seemed like he was trying to look somber, like he was making sure she wasn’t upset about it or anything, but there was a grin tugging on his lips.

“What’s so funny?” she challenged, and suddenly they were both erupting into stupid laughter. It was the kind of laughter that made her sides ache, in the best possible way.

“Oh my god, you seriously spent a month thinking I was being sketchy as hell about dating Pope.” Kiara wiped a little moisture from the corner of her eye. His weirdness both made sense now and brought more questions that she wasn’t sure she was ready to ask racing to the forefront of her brain.

“A confusing month,” JJ agreed. Somehow, they’d scooted closer together in their laughter, but he’d sobered slightly. “But, like… You guys are—“

“We’re fine.” Kiara nodded. “I think. He’s probably not bummed about the space, though.”

“Gotcha.”

She thought the conversation was over, but apparently, JJ wasn’t quite ready to let it go. “So.” He fiddled with his reel again.

His face was still light, like a certain weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Kiara tried really hard not to overthink what that might’ve meant.

“What?” she pressed.

“I guess I’m the only one who’s followed your rules, huh?” Amusement was dancing in his eyes, because they both knew damn well he’d always mocked the no pogue on pogue macking rule she hammered into them. His lip jutted out into the beginnings of a pout, and she was reminded painfully of their maybe-but-maybe-not near miss on the couch. “Hardly fair.”

A giggle of disbelief welled in her throat. This was the closest to a pass at her he’d made in ages, and even though she hated the stereotype she was perpetuating, by being that girl who made out with two of her guy friends and had a big fat crush on the third, it was a relief.

Their eyes met, and he flashed her a knowing grin.

She shoved his shoulder. “Shut up and pretend you can catch a fish again.”

They had somehow moved close enough that their arms brushed every time one of them shifted, which ran goose bumps up Kiara’s skin. Neither of them offered to back away.

* * *

Hurricane Agatha’s devastation was still felt around the island, one of the ways being in the increased amount of trash and generally dirty substances around the beaches. So, in the name of fairness, it was Kiara’s turn to drag JJ out with her to collect some of the debris.

Of course, he wasn’t actually doing the collecting.

“A lot of help you are,” Kiara called to him, grabbing a plastic cup from the water with her alligator clamp.

She was far from annoyed, though. She appreciated his company, and Twix loved to come out to the beach. The sand was a delight for her to dig in, and she seemed to get a kick out of running from approaching waves. The chaotic way JJ walked her, zigging and zagging all across the beach, didn’t do a lot for Kiara’s nerves, but all in all, it was an enjoyable afternoon.

“Sorry, Kie. My hands are full.” He had Twix’s leash in one hand and a half-smoked joint in the other. “I’ll cheer for you while you save the turtles, though. You’re looking mighty fine doing it.”

She made a show of rolling her eyes, as if she didn’t still get a swell of relief with every flirtatious comment. It felt so good to be more normal with JJ again.

As normal as his flirty banter was, she still couldn’t help but feel like there was an undercurrent of something more now. Ever since that moment on the couch, she’d felt it in loaded silences and subtle glances.

She didn’t know if it was leading up to something, but was it wrong of her to hope that maybe it was?

Lost in her thoughts, Kiara had picked up a few more discarded plastics before noticing that she could no longer hear JJ babbling to Twix. Curious, she straightened up and glanced back down the beach.

She spotted JJ almost at once. He was several yards away, bobbing his head along as two girls made what could only be described as a huge show bent over Twix and petted at her ears. Twix, the little traitor, was wagging her tail like she was the happiest dog in the world.

The girls, with their orange tinted tans, were quite clearly from off island. They could be picked out from a mile away.

Even from the distance, Kiara could see that JJ had his smooth smile on. The one he sometimes broke out on her, but always, without fail, used on the tourons he was hoping to get lucky with. Nine times out of ten, it seemed to work.

A rebellious feeling of _something_ reared itself in Kiara’s gut, and she wished more than anything she could say it was just jealousy over Twix.

Kiara hated herself for reacting this way. Despite her less than platonic feelings for JJ, she had always, always, done such an excellent job not being bothered when he hooked up with tourons, even when it was ten minutes after flirting with her. It was just the way he was, and she understood that. She did. Hell, she’d probably even been his wing woman at some point.

But something about seeing the girls giggling over Twix, over _their_ thing, made her stomach curl in a way she could no longer ignore. Before she knew it, she was walking over towards them.

“What’s up?” Her smile was big, bright and false as she approached, and she made a show of propping a casual hand on JJ’s shoulder. She knew how it looked, but she didn’t care.

The other girls’ expressions faltered, and she could see them mentally sizing her up. Good. Let them think JJ was taken. Out of the corner of her eye, Kiara could see him looking back and forth between her and the tourons, lips parted like he couldn’t quite figure out what was going on.

“Hi,” one of the girls said, finally. “Just petting your dog.”

“Well, we should probably get back to the fam,” the other said. Her eyes wandered over JJ regretfully. “Have a good day.”

“Later,” he muttered, as they walked away.

Kiara felt his eyes on her, but she elected not to acknowledge the fact that she had totally just acted like a territorial girlfriend. She could only pray he wouldn’t, either.

She turned, ready to continue back down the beach. “I’ve picked up a lot. It wouldn’t kill everyone else to help, but progress is progress, right?”

JJ hesitated for several moments, but thankfully, she soon heard him shuffling to follow her. She let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe he hadn’t noticed as badly as she’d thought.

Unfortunately, JJ couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself for much longer. “Am I hallucinating, or did you just cockblock me?”

Kiara’s cheeks warmed. She kept her eyes determinedly on Twix, who was biting at the waves now that JJ had brought her closer to the water. “It’s tacky to use Twix to get girls.”

“Uh, what’s the point of having a cute dog if I can’t use it to get girls?” Her glare was sharp, and he was quick to backtrack. “Okay, obviously that’s not the point of having her, but you know what I mean.”

She didn’t say anything, didn’t really have anything to say that could justify her blatant possessiveness, so he continued. “Besides, they came up to me. I’m just saying.”

_And who could blame them,_ Kiara thought, sullenly. She wondered how he’d react if she just up and said that out loud, but no. She always left the blatant flirting to him, only occasionally encouraging him with subtle smiles and body language.

She took the easy way out.

“Sorry. Seeing all this junk on the beach just puts me in a bad mood, you know? This plastic could smother an animal,” she said, which wasn’t really a lie, was it? JJ nodded along, something in his face shifting, and she knew he bought it.

He waved a finger at her. “Fine, but you owe me. The blonde one was cute.”

“Cuter than—“ She stumbled over her words, realizing she might be taking things a step too far, but it would be even weirder if she didn’t finish. “Cuter than me?”

She raised her chin, watching as he nearly stumbled over Twix at her words. She hoped she looked more confident and joking than she felt. It was fine, right?

JJ opened his mouth, and for once, it seemed like he couldn’t figure out what to say. Embarrassment washed over her almost immediately.

Kiara slapped a playful hand at his chest, hoping he didn’t notice her posture deflate. “God, I’m just kidding. I owe you.”

“Next party at the Boneyard then. You can talk me up,” he conceded, but a thoughtful expression was clouding his face. Usually, nothing good came out of that look on JJ.

“Whatever.” She doubted very much that she even wanted to know what he could be thinking, especially if it had anything to do with analyzing her actions.

Before she could continue walking, he’d slung an arm over her shoulders, pulling her snugly into the warmth of his side. He was ridiculously toned against her through their tanks, a fact she was well aware of but usually chose not to fixate on.

JJ leaned in towards her, his breath tickling her ear, and a shiver crept up her spine. “Definitely not cuter than you, though.”

As quickly as he’d grabbed her, he’d released her, trotting on ahead like nothing had happened.

Kiara stared after him, breathing a little harder than she’d like to admit. He’d hardly ever been that bold, but then again… She’d never pulled a stunt like that around other girls, either.

_Get a grip, Kie._ On the count of three, she allowed herself to catch up to him.

* * *

Kiara had been thinking about it. Entirely too much. For days.

In fact, as she lay on the sand, gazing up at the endless blanket of stars, it was pretty much all she could think about. It was just her smothering thoughts, the warmth radiating off of JJ’s arm next to hers, and the sound of the ocean and Twix shuffling around in the background.

If it wasn’t for the lack of snoring, she almost would’ve thought JJ had nodded off on her. The fact that she knew he was awake didn’t do a lot of wonders for her self-control.

What would happen, honestly, if she just cleared up this sexual tension once and for all by leaning over and kissing him? She was almost certain he would kiss back. She had a pair of boobs, after all.

But in the morning, when it became clear he only saw it as a fun time with a girl he could tolerate for more than a few hours, would the hurt be worth it?

“JJ,” she said, because she couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

“Yes, Kiara?” he echoed, and it sounded a little playful, but a little mocking, too. She turned her head towards him, lips pursed.

“Just wanted to make sure you were awake. We don’t need Twix loose out here.”

“Can’t believe you don’t trust me by now.” Kiara listened for any hint of real hurt in his voice, but thankfully, there was none. There hadn’t been much since she’d told him, out loud, how highly she thought of him, which was something she greatly appreciated.

He held his hand up, and she could see the leash snug between his fingers in the starlight

“Don’t worry. There’s no one else I’d rather co-own a dog with,” she joked, squinting her eyes at him.

He shifted in the sand to lie on his side next to her, and even in the dim light, his face was soft in a way that made her heart thump. It reminded her of the day when they’d held hands on the couch, and her skin prickled with anticipation.

“Me either, if I had to pick, I guess.”

Kiara swallowed, and she recognized dimly that she’d probably been staring into his eyes too long without saying anything. He was so close. If she wanted to, she could just reach out and…

On their own violation, her eyes flickered to his mouth, and he must’ve noticed, because his breath hitched.

“Kie—“ His voice came out strangled, and she caught his eyes trailing down her face.

_Grow some balls, Kie,_ she urged herself.

“Shhh,” she said, and with a surge of courage, she leaned forward and closed the distance between them.

JJ’s mouth was warm and slightly chapped against hers, although the cut on his lip had long since healed. There was a sharp intake of breath, and then he was tentatively running his lips against hers.

Her confidence growing with his reciprocation, Kiara shifted closer to him, bringing her fingers up to caress his cheek. She pressed her lips harder against his, and his breath tasted like the minty stick of gum they’d halved earlier.

Her teeth grazed his bottom lip, and JJ let out a little groan in the back of his throat before he was suddenly pulling away. He shot up to a sitting position, peering down at her with wild eyes and hair askew.

“Kie, what—“

Humiliation burned through her bones. Oh, God. It was even worse than she’d thought. She’d blown it.

“Oh. I thought— I thought you’d want to. I’m sorry,” she managed, slowly pushing herself up to mirror him. She couldn’t seem to look at his face.

“Are you kidding me?” JJ said, and she almost went from horrified to pissed before he added, “Of course I want to. You just—You always shoot down my moves so I’m a little confused.”

At that, Kiara managed to look up. Her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, what _moves_?”

“What the fuck, I’ve made so many moves…“ His hand was in his hair, and he was blinking at her very rapidly. Kiara tried to avoid looking at his kiss-swollen mouth.

“JJ, asking me to makeout while you’re shitfaced doesn’t count,” she argued. She pulled her knees up to her chest and propped her chin on her knees to watch him.

His mouth had dropped open, and Kiara realized that if she wanted to resolve this issue, she was going to have to spell it out for him. She’d already gotten herself into this mess, so it was time to face the music and deal with it once and for all. Bracing herself, said, “Look, this isn’t… This isn’t about sex for me. I like you.”

“You like me?” The lines in his forehead were melting away, but he was still looking at her like this was all a foreign concept to him.

Kiara couldn’t take it anymore, so she turned her gaze to the sand. “Yeah. But if this doesn’t mean the same thing to you, can we please just pretend it never happened?”

She’d thought about it, but there was just no way she could do casual physical intimacy with JJ and have it not mean anything more than friends with benefits to him. It would hurt too much with the lines blurred like that. Staying completely platonic, though, she could handle. She’d done it for years.

Somehow, she seemed to have rendered him speechless again. She wondered if maybe he was trying to figure out the best way to let her down easy, because as much of a jokester as he was, he’d never intentionally hurt her feelings.

“Look, your friendship is the most important thing to me, so lets just—“

She was interrupted by him yanking her towards him.

His lips pressed against hers, more sure this time, and his hand tangled in her curls. A whimper escaped her, and then she was pushing back, her hands landing on his shoulders. She gripped them, feeling the hard muscle there that she was _finally_ allowed to appreciate.

Kiara had ended up practically half on his lap. Bracing herself on his shoulders, she slung a leg over his to straddle him, and he groaned softly in her ear. Her tongue brushed his lips in response, and his mouth fell open for her. His grip tightened in her hair.

She was hot all over, dizzy with want, lack of air, or both, and just when she thought it was too much, he was gone again.

She opened her mouth, prepared to protest, before he fell on her jaw. His lips trailed from there down her throat, dangerously close to the neckline of her tank top, and she was practically panting with pleasure.The tiny nips against her neck gradually became little puffs of air that she realized with dismay was laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” Kiara whispered, pulling his face back to hers. Maybe she should be offended, but his lips met hers with enthusiasm, so the concern slipped her mind.

“You have a crush on me,” he muttered back, between kisses. His voice was breathy, and borderline excited. She had to pull back for a second at that.

“No shit, Sherlock,” she said, but she couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

She didn’t have to ask twice.

This felt so _good._ The two of them, making out in the sand under the stars like they’d been doing it for years.

Her chest bursting with as much happiness as desire, Kiara slid forward, pushing JJ back into the sand so that she was lying on top of him. His lips were skilled over hers, and god, she knew he’d be great at this.

Her fingers skirted down his chest towards his stomach, and she could feel his abs clench through his shirt. She’d waited _so long_ to touch those abs.

Apparently, JJ had similar thoughts, because his hands brushed her backside before continuing on to tease the sensitive skin just underneath the bottom of her shirt. They drifted higher, provoking chill bumps across her flesh, and she felt herself beginning to get too carried away entirely too fast.

Reluctantly, she pulled back, his nose inches from hers. His eyes were glazed over and undone beneath her, and she knew she must look the same.

“JJ, I can’t take my shirt off on this public beach.”

“Oh, right. No. Sorry.” He was quickly backtracking, sliding his hands away from her hips, but she stopped him with her hands on his.

“Hey, I didn’t say stop,” she complained, with a breath of laughter. He still looked dazed, and she couldn’t resist planting a quick kiss on his nose. “Maybe we could go back to the Chateau, though…”

His hands tightened on her hips, and he was already nodding along eagerly when she realized: both of his hands had been on her for several minutes. As in, neither was holding Twix’s leash.

Her heart jumped to her throat, for a very different reason than what the past few minutes had entailed.

“Dude, you let go of Twix!”

“Shit,” he said, and she was scrambling off him.

Thankfully, there appeared to be no people around to witness the show they just put on, but Kiara spotted a fluffy tail near a sand dune in the distance. “There she is!”

They took off towards Twix at a near run, both of them struggling to straighten their clothes as they went. JJ couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face, and it made something in Kiara melt.

“When we catch this dog, I might kill you,” she said, but she couldn’t even muster a tiny bit of force behind her words. JJ picked up on it immediately.

“Nah. Then you wouldn’t be able to kiss me again.” His face flashed, playful, and he lifted his fingers to his mouth. A loud whistle rang across the beach, and Twix’s ears perked up at once. “C’mere, girl!”

She bounded towards them, thrilled at the attention from her favorite person, and JJ was quick to secure her leash. They both bent down to pet her, and their fingers brushed on her back, causing them both to pause.

Slowly, his eyes met hers, questioning. Kiara could tell by his stiff posture that he was a bit nervous, something very uncharacteristic for JJ. “Soooo….” he began.

“So,” Kiara repeated, taking in his messy hair and rumpled shirt _. She_ had done that. His eyes were on her mouth again, but they were growing more and more unsure, like he still thought maybe she had second thoughts about what had just happened.

It was her fault, she supposed. She had been the one to preach the rules for years, after all, and he already knew she’d regretting kissing the other two boys recently.

Oh well. She had no problem continuing to convince him.

Her hand reached for his, and carefully, she interlaced their fingers. They both stared down at their entwined hands for a moment before looking back up at one another.

Twin smiles.

“Chateau?”

“Chateau.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are much appreciated! Please come talk to me about Jiara on my tumblr "stydialarke".


End file.
